Pina Arnone feared she wouldn’t get to take out her daughter Carla for food ahead of Carla’s 40th birthday this weekend.
Carla Lesnik’s November birthdate usually doesn’t factor into where the family eats. This year, though, mitigation measures in and around Naperville restricting indoor dining posed the scenario of eating under a tent or patio in bitter cold.
Fortunately, sunny weather and a high in the mid-70s meant the family could eat outside Catch 35 for lunch Friday.
“We wanted to celebrate today, but we also wanted to support this business,” Arnone said; Catch 35’s outdoor seating had several customers Friday afternoon.
Weather more reminiscent of September or October put Naperville customers and eating/drinking establishments in a good mood this week. High temperatures have been close to or surpassed 70 since Tuesday, and 70s were forecast into Tuesday.
The warm stretch will end sooner or later, but customers and owners/managers welcome the brief mild spell more than in years past, as these businesses struggle without their indoor dining rooms and people wish to eat and drink in public.
“Anytime it’s warm in November, you have to soak it up,” said Mike Hallman, who ate outside Q-BBQ Friday afternoon. “You know you may have to hunker down soon.”
Hallman and his friend, Mike Minton, made the trek from Geneva and Glen Ellyn, respectively, for burnt ends and pulled pork. Minton said it is one of his favorite restaurants.
“You’ve got to support (the restaurants) as much as you can right now,” Minton said.
“I’m happy to do it,” Lesnik added of supporting Catch 35 Friday; she tends to order takeout from local establishments with her family every Saturday. “I’m even happier to support and be here physically.”
Nikky Breijak, general manager at Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, said they’ve seen a 75% increase in reservations versus a week ago, when weather was significantly worse for outdoor dining. They have more than 30 tables outdoors available for customers, with all tables spaced out 8 feet apart.
Staff at Lazy Dog are getting some stability in their work hours this week because of the weather, Breijak said. She would love if the weather continued this way into the holiday season.
“I think the warm weather could not have come at a better time. For those who thought things looked bleak last week, this warmth brings in some positivity,” Breijak said, noting last week’s weather conditions and the shift to indoor-less dining.
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“It’s sort of bittersweet to see the last bit of warm weather.”
Jane Donahue/Special to the Tribune
Two Brothers Barrel House on West Jefferson Avenue announced it would open its rooftop patio Friday and Saturday because of the weather.
“These Pop-Ups will be for this weekend only. We may have some other dates in the future (weather dependent), but for now, we wanted to make sure we took advantage of this awesome fall weekend so we could see all your smiling faces (well, behind masks obviously),” according to a news release.
More people are walking in to Sharko’s BBQ’s two Naperville locations this week, said owner Brian Sharko. Sharko’s has outdoor seating, but that option is hit or miss because of the weather, he said. He’s seen more families this week, and he’s noticed some customers are ordering larger items like ribs.
“I wish Daylight Saving Time didn’t happen (on Nov. 1), there would be more business,” Sharko said.
Sales are down about 60% from last year at the two locations, notably a decline in catering services due to a lack of weddings, graduations and other events. It remains to be seen if catering will get a boost with Thanksgiving, Sharko’s biggest holiday.
“Every day is emotional right now. Your business keeps swinging – it’s good, it’s bad,” Sharko said. “You see the forecast. Get it while you can. Be prepared, be ready, be organized. You gotta make it work.”
Allegory staff moved some of its indoor tables outside on Thursday to go along with the outdoor tables head chef/owner Chris Mason built for outdoor seating. Mason said he expected a good weekend for his restaurant, given the good sales seen earlier in the week.
It is welcome relief, Mason said, given this latest shutdown’s impact of revenue. He argues it may be worse for Allegory than the spring lockdown, as he feels “fatigue” may be settling in — locals may be getting bogged down by the continued existence of COVID-19, its threat and impact on practically everything.
Mason wasn’t so much worried about this weekend – after all, customers are showing up and the phone is ringing. He was more worried about what will happen once the warm stretch ends and what to do about Allegory’s outdoor seating arrangement, which isn’t built for the winter.
A recent Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce survey reported 89% of businesses did not have a sustainable outdoor plan. Half of the respondents expected losses over 75% and another 40% expected losses between 25% and 75%.
Allegory doesn’t have an ideal space for a tent or igloos, Mason said. And even then, would customers want to eat outdoors during the worst stretches of the winter, even if under a climate-controlled setting?
“Trying to justify the additional expense is really difficult,” Mason said as he pondered the feasibility of those purchases.